OniHime
by Light27
Summary: Fantasy AU. "I don't care even if the whole world is going to stop me! I'll save Hime-sama! my Hime-sama..."
1. The beginning

**OniHime**

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sket Dance or anything else used in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.

* * *

_This three-leaf clover _  
_Is the only one of its kind._

**Chapter 1 : The Beginning**

Once upon a time, in a kingdom known as Kaimezamashi, told a tale of a great adventure and journey. This kingdom was rich and resourceful. The people prosper due to fruitfulness of their earth. People of all kind lived there. In the middle of the capital held a castle which houses the royalty. Knights and guards patrol the perimeter of the castle more tightly than they guard the capital itself - they still protect their kingdom though. However, these knights and guards weren't just keeping suspicious people out of the castle to avoid assassination on the royalties. They had to make sure that the princess stays inside the castle unless the Higher-ups ordered her to go elsewhere..

In a place near a pond, under the moonlight, two figures sat next to each other while facing the scenery in front of them. They sat on a slanted ground so they could see the sky and the reflection of the sky on the water clearly. This place was surrounded by trees and other natural flora. There were barely any artificial sound except for the natural fauna's onomatopoeia. It was their hideout since they were kids. They used to play here a lot and do stupid stuff together. Even though there were only two of them, they enjoyed each other's companion. Sadly, time passes..

"Hime-sama..."

"Bossun... I told you to stop calling me that..."

"Why? You're our princess after all, right?"

"I know... but, I'm still not used to being one.."

Bossun looked to his left. Himeko wore a robe over her outfit to disguise herself from being spotted by the palace's guards. The moonlight basked Himeko in ethereal light. Her blonde tresses became lustrous under these moonlight. She was looking at the moon with such a gentle expression albeit showing a slightly pleading look... She was now a princess..

"Hime-sama..."

"Mou! I told you... I'm not used to that..." Himeko said after diverting her sight to her male companion abruptly.

Bossun was sitting next to her. He was wearing incomplete knight attire which was a black shirt and the bottoms for knight attire. At first glance, no one will ever suspect that he's even a knight. But he is one indeed, a skilled one at that. He probably wanted to feel comfortable after all day long of wearing them.

"Are you purposely trying to make me angry?!"

"Maybe... But seriously... Why you had to become a princess? You're the most not princess-like girl in the kingdom-"

**THUD**

Himeko hit Bossun in the head.

"Sorry for being not lady-like!" Himeko said austerely while Bossun on the other hand was rubbing the hit spot while muttering something under his breath.

Himeko regained her composure after taking a deep breath. "You're right... why me?" Himeko asked. "Why me of all people? Just because I'm the only descendant doesn't mean..."

Bossun looked at Himeko, trying to think of something to cheer her up. At least something to make her feel better... A sudden cognisant hit him.

"Well... at least this knight will have something worth fighting for..." Bossun said to Himeko and later close the distance between them. Bossun whispered into Himeko's ear.

"his _Hime_-sama."

A slight blush crept up Himeko's face but she didn't feel the temptation to hit Bossun in the head, instead, she could feel nothing but glee upon hearing that from Bossun.

"Thank you, Bossun."

Bossun smiled, his usual smile. The one that always made Himeko happy.

Himeko laid down on the grass.

"The stars are pretty, aren't they?" Himeko said as she gaze the night sky.

"I guess..." Bossun followed Himeko and laid down next to her.

"Ne, Bossun?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"D-do you think we will ever meet again?"

"What do you mean by that?!" Bossun was surprised by Himeko's abrupt question. "What makes you think we'll never meet again?!"

"I don't know... I just felt like asking..."

"Baka, we meet up here almost every week, don't we? Don't worry, I'll help you sneak past the guards like always."

". . . ." Himeko sat up slowly.

"What's wrong?" Bossun asked as he too sat up. "Did the higher-ups found out that you've been using the secret passage? If there is something, let me know.."

Himeko looked at Bossun in the eyes while remaining quiet.

Clear sky blue orbs met calm, cool brown orbs.

When no answer came Bossun opened and closed his mouth to try to form words…anything that could possibly elicit answer from Himeko or rather wipe that worries away.

"Hime-"

Without warning, their lips met.

"Nnmm...!"

Bossun wasn't sure what to do, but, it felt... right..

Bossun closed his eyes and hugged Himeko closer.

The two pulled away a little and stared each other in the eyes.

"I-I love you, Bossun..."

"I love you too, my _Hime_-ko"

The both of them rest in each other warmth that night in comfortable silence. No words were needed. All they need were each other.

Later, Bossun sneaked Himeko back into the castle through the secret passage that was secretly built underground as an emergency escape. The secret passage was located at the back of the castle near a barn which no one but the higher-ups know of - and Bossun of course.

Bossun made his way back to his humble abode and rest for the night. His mind was calm. He had no worries.

He was in love, a _forbidden_ love.

**• • •**

The next morning

Bossun woke up. Not because of his usual circadian rhythm but because of the emergency bell. The bell was ringing loudly that the whole area could hear it.

_It must be really important for them to alert everyone.. _Bossun thought.

Bossun put on his knight attire, complete with the shoulder pauldrons and he went outside. The commotion took place at the gathering hall. The hall was so rowdy and noisy, it made Bossun's curiosity dying to know what had happened. He tried listening to the announcer but barely heard anything.

He couldn't hear anything but a blend of sounds over the rowdy bin of the townsfolk.

He tried finding his friends nearby...

_Ah! There's Switch!_

Bossun ran towards Switch who was standing at the back of the gathering hall near the vestibule.

"Yo, Switch! What happened?" Bossun asked.

See, Switch wasn't a person who talks a lot. He usually speak when it's important..

". . ."

"Switch, tell me!"

Switch gave an uneasy look on his face - the one that says _I really don't want to say it_. He then took a deep breath and calmed himself down before uttering these four words...

"The princess is missing."

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! I hope this acceptable in this fandom. I proofread it myself since I don't know any Beta-reader here.. Some of you already know that I'm new here. Kaimezamashi is the name of the kingdom I made, It's derrived from the original Kaimei but the Kai is 界 which is Kingdom. Mezamashi is 目覚ましい which is wonderful. I'm sorry, my Japanese is kinda iffy. To clear any confusion, this is an alternate universe, okay? Please give me feedback, constructive criticism is welcomed too! The story is far from being over...


	2. Running for the Truth

_Sometimes I softly piled up_

_The three-leaf clovers. _

_There was a reason I couldn't let them go._

**Chapter 2 - Running for the Truth.**

Under the open sky early in the morning, rows of knights lined up orderly while a man stood in front of them. His uniform was different from an average knight.

"Everyone should remain calm until the situation is properly studied. It is your duty to comprehend to that. Decisions is yet to be made thus discussion is still ongoing. People inside the castle is still being interrogated. Be on high alert and don't let anyone leave or enter the kingdom for now unless for utmost important matter." A man of high status announced to the rows of knights in front of him. He's the commanding officer of the knights. "Are we clear on the matter?" he reconfirmed.

"Yes, sir!" the knights replied in unison.

"Very well, dismiss."

The rows of knights were broken as they all return to their station.

. . . . . .

_"The princess is missing."_

_"Huh?! How?! When?! What?!"_

_"She was found missing this morning... some of the maids said she was kidnapped."_

_"How could this be? I was sure there was nothing suspicious around the castle last night."_

_Switch shook his head, not knowing the answer._

_. . . . . . _

Bossun have never felt so anxious in all his life.

So far they had done thorough inspection inside the kingdom to deduce the work of insiders. They salvaged every nook and cranny to find their princess. They found nothing but hopelessness. The princess doesn't reside within this walls anymore.

Days passed and Bossun's feelings grew wilder.

_Where could she possibly be?!_

Bossun, as the vice-captain of the knights had been working thrice as harder than anyone else. He had led numerous of the inspections. He had interrogate some suspicious individuals that he encountered but none of them was guilty nor knows of their princess whereabouts. All his effort went in vain because he had found nothing.

Absolutely nothing..

Not even a single clue...

He was on the verge of despair at the moment, but, he knows that he need to be strong. He needed to be strong for the both of _them_. He need to find her. He had promised to protect her when he joined the cavalry of knights. He had taken an oath. He promised to her...

_I won't give up! Not yet! Not now! Not ever!_

Because of the commanding officer's order, checkpoints had been allocated around the exits of the kingdom to avoid anymore intruders or runaways. The checkpoints were heavily guarded by a large number of guards - an extreme precautionary step.

Bossun knew what had to be done...

"I have to wait until nightfall..." Bossun muttered under his breath as he eyed the checkpoint near the border. He decided to go home, for now.

**• • •**

Night falls. The birds flew back to their nests and the sun resides in the other part of the world now. The sky was dark and most people were already inside due to the curfew ordered by the commanding officer recently. No one was outside except for night guards.

"Okay! I need to slip into other clothes.." Bossun said as he threw his knight attire into a chest with a lock. He pushed the chest under his bed.

He rummaged through his wardrobe - which really contained about 7 pieces of clothing and the rest were merely trashes and a half-eaten Pelocan?.

Bossun picked the Pelocan up. Dusts and other small bits was stuck to it, probably because it had been in there a few weeks or months perhaps? Bossun was never a neat person by default... The Pelocan was originally developed by a wannabe chef in town when he was a kid. One day, the chef decided to test his Pelocan by giving a free taste of it to the people. Most people emptied their stomach upon the taste of it, except, except for Himeko...

She took a taste and immediately fell in love with it. Bossun wasn't sure whether she was trying to soothe the chef's feelings or she's just plain weird. The said chef ended up making Pelocan for Himeko since that - she was his only customer.

Bossun smirked upon recalling that event. He wrapped the Pelocan with a paper and throw it out.

"I need some undercover clothes..."

Bossun took a grey shirt, a pair of black pants and a brown, long leather jacket with a hood from the wardrobe. He put them on.

On his waist, he set a holster for his sword. The sword didn't even stand out underneath the jacket. Bossun carried some other necessities for the journey that is to come - a bottle for water, some maps, a knife, a pair of goggles, and one unwrapped Pelocan (just in case he needed to throw up in case he ate a poisonous food...)

"All set!" Bossun checked his equipments one last time.

Bossun made his way to the door and glanced back one last time. There's a hideous female doll on the table near his bed, a precious momento of the past. He merely smirked..

Bossun opened the door and found a certain someone...

"Why are you here?" Bossun asked. "Don't try to stop me, Switch!"

Switch stood in front of Bossun, alone. Switch was wearing almost identical clothes to Bossun's except his jacket was dark green colour and he buttoned the jacket all the way up so Bossun couldn't really see what he wore underneath.

"I'm doing this, Switch... I have to..."

"I understand, I'm going with you."

"What?! Are you sure?!" Bossun was surprised.

Switch nodded.

"Switch, you're my best friend." Bossun walked towards Switch and put his hand on Switch's shoulder. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Switch nodded.

"What are you nodding for?"

"I'm going with you."

"Man, you're so hard to get through!"

"No. If Hime-sama is really that important to you, then she's worth getting hurt for."

"Switch..."

"Let's get going."

Bossun knew there was no point of dissuading Switch at this point. Once his mind made up, it's locked.

Agreeing with his stubborn companion, Bossun and Switch sneaked to the kingdom borders through the woods and shrubs so they will not get spotted by the guards on patrol. They arrived at the edge of the kingdom, North-west of the capital. Getting past the border was the hardest part because guards were patrolling around the perimeter relentlessly.

"How are we going to get past them?" Bossun wondered and tried to think of a plan to get past the guards.

Switch got something out of his bag. It has a spherical shape and black in colour.

"What you got there, Switch?"

Without an answer, Switch threw the object to the group of guards. A gas of pale-blue smoke was released when the object touched the ground. The smokes dissipate slowly and revealed a group of sleeping figures.

All the guards were put to sleep.

"Sleeping bomb?!" Bossun said in amusement. "You're a freaking genius!"

Switch gestured Bossun to hurry up and escape now. Bossun ran as fast as he could with Switch following behind him.

**• • •**

They ran into the forest that was no longer under Kaimezamashi's order. They ran an extra mile as a precaution.

"Phew... We're out." Bossun said as he catches his breath. He glanced back, the kingdom is behind him know.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Switch said. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Oh! you see about that... I sorta... Haven't really... thought about it..."

Switch gave Bossun a look that clearly stated that he's pissed right now.

"Ah! Don't worry! I know someone who could give us some pointers..." Bossun calmed Switch down a little. "We're going to see a certain singer who always travel around."

Switch previously angered face was replaced with a calm and disturbing one? But Switch swiftly recovered his composure.

Switch knew who exactly Bossun was talking about...

"Yup let's go and visit Momoka. She's in the neighbouring town nearby right now. The town is called Wao, if I'm not mistaken..."

They came to an agreement thus began walking to the said town. Their surrounding was no longer houses nor stone buildings, instead, tall tress and plants stretch as far as they could see. The night sky was upon them, some stars were shimmering. The canopy of the forest shaded some of the moonlight. It was a good thing there was a spoor made by horses and cart tracks - the one that carries supplies away and to Kaimezamashi. They followed the track all the way.

They walked, and walked for some time until they met an intersection.

"Which way to go?" Bossun wondered. Switch shrugged.

He took out a map from his inventory and examined it.

"I guess tracks as small as this one doesn't show on the map.." Bossun said while folding back the map.

Then a constant rhythm of footsteps, horse footsteps could be heard from afar. But the footsteps got faster as it got louder.

The duo looked to their left and found a horse carriage drove by a girl in plain white dress with a pink beret running away from a 7-8 horses from behind. it seemed that there's a few men pursuing her for some time now.

As the girl got closer, she saw Bossun and Switch.

"Help me!" The girl pleaded for help.

Bossun draw out his sword out of instinct. The pursuers saw him, stopped their pursue and dismount their horses to confront him. They looked like thieves trying to loot a lone girl in the middle of the night. They wore ragged and shady-looking clothes. They wielded their weapons - swords, morning-star clubs, axes and other dangerous-looking weapons. They certainly have the bad guys aura permeating from them.

The thieves surrounded Bossun in a predatory fashion while smirking confidently. They swung their weapons around in attempt to intimidate Bossun.

_There's 8 of them..._

Bossun held his sword up in front of him with both of his hands. He reinforced his stance by slightly widen his footing. He closed his eyes.

He closed his eyes and remained quiet.

The thieves found Bossun's action stupid and decided to charge in.

"Just get him!" on of the thieves launched an attack followed by the others.

Bossun opened his eyes.

One of the thieves lunged his sword directly at Bossun only to be dodged with ease - He buried his knee into the thief'd stomach followed with a sword handle to the back of the thieves head.

All in one swift motion, one thief was down.

The rest of the thieves were surprised but they still chose to fight Bossun.

Bossun shook his head lightly, disappointed that the thieves didn't back down.

Intimidated by Bossun's gesture, one of the thieves sneaked up from behind and locked Bossun in a hold. Bossun couldn't escape.

While being restrain, another thief with a spiky morning-star approached Bossun from the front. As the thief swung the weapon, Bossun swiftly ducked down causing the weapon to hit the thief that was restraining Bossun instead.

_Two thieves down._

Using the window of opportunity, Bossun tripped him with a simple swipe kick to the ankle. While the thief was stumbling, Bossun rammed his elbow into the back of his head, instantly knocking him out.

_Three down._

The rest of the thieves looked rather tentative on dealing the first strike so they remained on their stance instead.

Smirking, Bosun dealt a heavy blow to the first thief's head with the sword guard, knocking him off-balance. Bossun raised his left arm and bent it at the elbow, straightening it quickly to strike the side of another thief's head with the rear of his knuckles.

Just as the attacker collapsed, Bossun pushed him into the first one, knocking them both down. Instinct took over quickly, directing his body away from all those fatal weapons launched his way.

_Three remaining._

They were trying to kill Bossun, with those swords in their hand.

Bossun ducked under a sword slash and rammed the attacker straightforward. Bossun followed with kick to the head knocking a thief out.

Just as another thief launched himself with a sword in hand, Bossun used the thief's momentum by pulling his arm and burrows a knee into his stomach and quickly knock him out with an elbow to the back of the head.

The last thief sat down, dejectedly. He was cowering in fear as he saw all his accomplices knocked out by Bossun.

Bossun approached the last thief.

The thief whimpered fearing what may happen to him.

Bossun dealt pushed at his pressure point on the neck thus knocking him out.

Bossun sheathed his sword.

8 unconscious figures laid all around him, not a single blood was shed - well one did get a wound on his head caused by his own accomplice.

Bossun inspected the figures and found some ropes. He tied up all the unconscious thief together by their hands.

"Someone will find them tomorrow morning..." Bossun muttered.

Bossun took a deep breath and approached the girl who had stop her carriage. She was sitting on the ground, resting against a tree nearby. She looked like she was exhausted.

"Are you hurt?" Bossun asked the girl gently as he squat down in front of her.

"Um.. N-No!" the girl replied. She had beautiful face, a cute face. "M-my name is R-Roman Saotome!" she introduced herself albeit a bit stuttered.

Bossun smiled gently, prince-like smile.

"Nice to meet you, Roman..." Bossun said while holding out his right hand. "My name is Fujisaki Yuu- eh?"

The girl passed out, with a dreamy expression on her face.

Bossun and Switch tilted their head in confusion.

**• • •**

_Where the heck am I?!_

_Where am I being held?!_

Himeko was captivated in a small room. The room had one door for entry and one small window, so small that Himeko couldn't clearly see the outside. The room clearly was a place for prisoning a person.

_Why am I even here?!_

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**A/N: **Thank you for still following this story! I appreciate the reviews, favourites and follows! It really drives me! To anyone who find the fight scene confusing, I'm sorry! If possible, tell me what part of the story is lacking - some advice would be nice too. I'm thinking of posting the map of this fantasy world on DeviantArt as a visual aid for you all... Maybe in a week, thy will be done?  
Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll try my best to update as soon and as best as possible!

**12/21/12: **I'm updating this story from heaven! XD


	3. The Start of a New Journey

_At the end of that suspension bridge, _  
_I want to dig up a treasure._  
_Even though a strong wind is blowing, _  
_It's worth it to go forward._

**Chapter 3: The Start of a New Journey**

The bonfire was starting to dim a little as the firewood crippled bit by bit producing a little creaking sound. The smouldering base of the bonfire glowed and dimmed at intervals. Carbon soot escaped to the atmosphere in the form of small particles. Bossun and Switch decided to camp in the forest for the night. Since they didn't know which way to go, they decided to ask the girl who had passed out for help. The girl passed out when Bossun prompt her casually - what's wrong with her? At least this course of action was better than aimlessly wander the woods at night and get lost in the forest or even eaten by a bear. Worst-case scenario would be if they wander deep enough to meet trolls and be held prisoners.

Switch sat near to the fire while reading a book and poked the fire with a stick at times. The warmth of the fire really made Switch comfortable enough to indulge himself with a book. Bossun sat adjacent to Switch while pretty much doing nothing. Bossun was just aimlessly looking at the stars. The warmth of the fire was important for their survival for the night.

Despite the coldness, Bossun was not wearing his jacket. His bare arms were vulnerable to the cold night air.

"When is she going to wake up?" Bossun said while looking at a certain girl laying down some distance away from him. Bossun covered her with his jacket to keep her warm. She was still unconscious since the thieves' incident.

"I wanted to ask something." Switch said to Bossun.

"Hmm..? What?"

"Earlier when you fought the thieves, why didn't you use your sword at all?"

"About that... I guess you never really saw me fight before, huh?" Bossun said. "I just don't make a habit of spilling people's blood, no matter how horrible the person is... My blade is not meant for such action. Killing is definitely avoided unless the situation calls upon it..." Bossun replied.

"I see..."

"Sheesh... It's been hours..." Bossun said while diverting his gaze to the unconscious girl.

Bossun let out a defeated sigh.

_This is not going to be easy... finding you is going to be a journey... Wait for me, okay?_

"Bossun..." Switch said once more. "Why do you wish to save Hime-sama so much?"

Bossun looked at Switch. "Why do you ask?"

Switch shrugged his shoulders.

Bossun looked skywards for a moment before facing switch and said "She- she is an important person to the kingdom... Isn't it my duty as a knight to save her? That's all."

Switch gave Bossun a _that couldn't be all_ look on his face.

Bossun shook his head dejectedly because of Switch. "She's also my friend. An important friend..." Bossun added. "I wish not to lose her..."

Switch nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosey."

Bossun smiled slightly at Switch.

Switch put a bookmark on his book before closing it. He stood up and walked towards Bossun. He reached for something in his jacket's pocket and later he handed a book with a pen to Bossun.

"W-what's this?" Bossun asked.

"A journal." Switch answered. "I suggest you record your quest in it."

Bossun took the book. It has a leather cover, to make it water-resistant and more durable. The leathery feel made the book much more convenient for one to hold in one's hand. Switch probably came up with the idea of covering a book.

"Thanks Switch!"

Switch nodded lightly and returned to his previous spot before continuing his reading.

Bossun flipped the journal open to only find the slightly yellowish paper is blank. Nothing was written in it... yet.

"Prince... My prince..." suddenly a voice spoke.

The girl woke and sat up slowly. Bossun hurried to her.

"Hey, you're awake."

The girl looked at Bossun with sleepy eyes and later blushed slightly.

"P-prince! Why are you here?" she asked.

"Prince? Whatever, didn't you remember? Some thieves chased you. Then, you passed out." Bossun explained.

The girl looked like she was trying to recall her memories.

"Oh! I remember now!" she said, later she tried to get back up, but fail to do so and fall back to the ground. "I need to repay you somehow..."

"No worries... although we could use some help getting to a town called Wao. Do you know where it is?" Bossun said.

"I-I actually was on my way there... before those guys ambushed me..." she explained. "I could show you the way."

She tried to stand up again, and failed again.

"Hey... you need some rest. We will take a lookout for you. We move in the morning, okay?" Bossun said gently to the girl. "Just rest for now..."

The girl listened to Bossun's advice and went to sleep.

* * *

**The next morning,**

Switch put out the bonfire by stomping on it repeatedly. Later he scattered the remains of the ashes and burnt woods.

They packed up their stuff and removed all traces off themselves such as pieces of clothes or anything to avoid being followed.

"Umm... Where's my carriage?" the girl asked.

"It's right there, I tied it to a tree so it wouldn't flee last night." Bossun said as he pointed at a nearby tree.

The three of them walked towards the said carriage.

"I'm glad it's still here..." the girl said in relief. She untangled the ropes.

She mounted in front of the carriage and ushered Bossun and Switch to do the same thing. She whipped the horses and began moving.

"So, do you live in Wao?" Bossun asked.

"No..."

"So where do you live?" Bossun asked once more

"I don't really stay in one place..." the girl replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I'm kinda an artist. So I move around to get inspiration on my canvas." she replied.

"Oh! You make paintings?!" Bossun asked.

"Yup! Wanna see?" she asked.

"Uh, sure."

The girl took something from her inventory on the carriage. She pulled out a drawing book and gave it to Bossun.

Bossun flipped it open and saw the first page...

_WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!_

The girl looked at Bossun, waiting for a review. Switch on the other hand, faced the other way - he's probably laughing on the inside and don't want to hurt the girl's feeling.

"Ah, it's unique!" Bossun quickly thought of something. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Hehe, thank you!" the girl took the drawing book back and put it away.

_If I randomly draw lines of circles and wiggly lines, it would still be better than her..._

"Ah! We're here!" the girl announced. "The town of Wao."

Bossun and Switch could clearly see a town even though they still have some distance from it. There was definitely a community there - stone buildings, houses, some agriculture activities and whatnot.

They got closer to it as the girl led the carriage inside the town and parked at a nearby haystack. She dismounted the carriage and tied the horse to a pole.

"Here we are! Town Wao!" the girl announced with enthusiasm.

Bossun and Switch got off the carriage and looked around. It was their first time outside of their kingdom. Everything seemed so different yet familiar? There were people, shops, tavern and other similar trademark. However, what made it different was probably the air. The air felt different, it's not a good or bad situation - it's just different.

Roman took a case from the carriage. The case had a small cubic shape with intricate details carved to the metal-like material. It looked like something important resided within it, something valuable - something that catches people attention.

But it was gone the next moment.

"Hey! Give it back!" Roman yelled at a running figure that was sprinting away from them. The figure had snatched the case from Roman's hand with incredible speed.

The figure couldn't be described clearly because it was wearing dark clothes and a mask. He had a slim and slender build.

Bossun chase after the figure out of instinct, followed by Switch from behind. The purse-snatcher was running rather fast as it weaves his way through the crowds of people on the streets. Bossun and Switch followed suit and continue the pursuit. The people on the streets were looking at them in awe because it was a rare occurrence.

The figure took a left turn through an alley.

"Switch! You follow the purse snatcher, I'll take the front!"

Switch nodded to Bossun and continued chasing the thief from behind while Bossun took a different route in attempt to stop this pursuit.

The purse-snatcher kept running through the narrow alley thinking that it has lost Bossun from his tail. He tried to run for another narrow alley to only found Bossun was blocking the way.

The purse-snatcher stopped instantaneously and looked for another escape with haste. Unfortunately, it was a checkmate for him.

Switch took out a rope with two weights at each end and threw it at his legs.

The purse-snatcher's legs was restrained by the bounding ropes and loses its balance, he fell down.

Bossun and Switch approached the purse-snatcher carefully in case of retaliation. Bossun carefully close the space between them and...

Sound of blade slicing something, in this case the ropes that once restrained the purse-snatcher. The said perpetrator adroitly slipped the knife from his sleeves without Bossun and Switch noticing. He pointed the small blade at Bossun and Switch.

Bossun had already gripped his sword ready to strike...

The purse-snatcher sprinted away from them in a panic state causing the previous stolen goods to be left on the place where he had fallen before. He probably deduced that he wouldn't win a fight against them.

Switch started running but stopped when Bossun said...

"Let him be, Switch. The case is not stolen anyways so there's no reason to pursue him anymore..."

Bossun picked up Roman's precious-looking item from the ground and walked back towards Roman.

"Hey, don't worry! We got it back for you." Bossun said as he approached Roman. The latter said smiled and looked at Bossun with dreamy eyes, again.

"Oh my Prince! I'm once more in your debt." Roman said. "Tell me what is it that you want? I'll repay your kindness!"

"Please, stop with the Prince calling..." Bossun said. "And you don't need to repay me. I did it for the sake of helping people."

"Please! Let me repay you somehow..."

Bossun was dumbstruck by the girl in front of him. Switch poked Bossun with his elbow.

_Hmmm? _Bossun looked at Switch.

Switched gave Bossun the _ask her where we can find Momoka_ look. Bossun had always wondered how he even understand Switch's discrete expression so well, could it be it's one of Bossun's talent or perhaps their friendship was so strong that they could communicate without even talking?

"Say, Roman." Bossun said causing the girl to wait for the next sentence in excitement. "Could you show us to where Momoka, err, Kibitsu Momoka is?" Bossun asked.

"Kibitsu Momoka?"

"What's wrong? You don't know her?" Bossun asked.

"No... I know her but..."

"but...?"

"It's hard to meet her because of her guards." Roman explained. "Most people who had no business with her rarely get in to meet her."

"Just show us the way, we'll think of something." Bossun said.

"If you insist, my Prince."

The girl led them the way across the town, Bossun was slightly annoyed with the prince calling though. Bossun and Switch continued sightseeing while doing so, it was exhilarating being in another place.

"Roman" Bossun said. "What's in the case you're holding?"

"..I-I don't know." Roman replied. "It's my duty to deliver it and not question its content..."

"Sounds important.."

"Yes.. it's my duty."

"I understand."

_Duty, huh? I understand that feeling.._

"Ah! Here we are!" Roman announced as they arrived in front of a what it looks like a housel? However, it seems a little different from normal house, which usually was moderately small but enough to act as a place to shelter, this one seems more... big and luxurious?

Bossun and Switch halted and stare at the building in front of them.

"Umm, I'm sorry, my Prince!" Roman said.

"Huh? What for?"

"I'm late for something right now, I have to hurry, so this is as far as I could help you both." Roman slightly bowed.

"Hurry up then, you don't want to be late."

"Thank you, my Prince." Roman said. "I hope we'll meet again one day if destiny bless upon us..."

Then Roman hurried to who knows where.

"That girl is really something..." Bossun said to Switch before walking to the designated building.

They made their way inside the building. The interior was so luxurious. Maple wood covered the floor that complimented the wall painted in sandy brown colour. Aside from that, the furniture was also looking rather premium. Leather sofas and glass table. On top of the table, there was a bouquet of roses in a glass vase – looked like a present or an appreciation from someone. In summary, this place was fit for a royal person to live in. It made Bossun remembered the insides of the palace back in his kingdom which he sometimes sneak into just to meet Himeko.

"Welcome. What are your business here young gentlemen?" A voice greeted them. It was a man wearing a butler clothes.

"Ummm, we're here to see Momoka, err, Kibitsu Momoka." Bossun stated their business.

"What is your status to her?"

"We're her friends."

"I see… Does she know that you were coming to visit her?"

"Erm.. not exactly..."

"I'm afraid I can't let you in, sir"

Then two guards came out from a door in front of them, they had a strong-looking build making them look intimidating to troublemakers.

"Just let us see her, I'm sure she don't mind."

The two guards started walking towards Bossun and Switch.

"Please see your way out kindly, sir"

"NO! We need to talk to her!" Bossun's voice got louder.

The two guards grabbed Bossun and Switch and started roughing them out of the building. Bossun and Switch did not retaliate because they wish not to cause any more trouble.

"STOP!" a voice yelled.

Everyone halted and looked at the speaker.

It was her, Kibitsu Momoka.

"What are you doing? They're my friends!"

"I'm sorry, Kibitsu-sama." the butler apologised as he bowed his head. "They were not listed in any list of people you usually meet."

"Let go of them."

The two guards let go of Bossun and Switch, which later steadied themselves.

The girl gave them a _follow me_ look.

* * *

"It's nice to see you Bossman! Switch..." Momoka greeted.

They were now in a room, it was most definitely larger than Bossun's house – probably Momoka's room because it contains a lot of personal belongings. There was a queen-sized bed with pick drapes of satin from atop next to an end table with a lamp on it. Switch and Bossun sat on a sofa adjacent to the bed while Momoka had just closed the door behind her.

"Will you get it right? I told you many times… It's Bossun not Bossman." Bossun corrected.  
"Okay, Bossman!"

Bossun gave Momoka his annoyed look which the latter imitate the expression.

They let out a laugh mirthfully.

"It's really nice to see you guys again" Momoka said. "It really is…"  
"Actually we're here to tell you something, and hope that you can help us somehow." Bossun replied.  
"Hmm. What is it do you want to say?"

Bossun exchanged looks with Switch, probably for affirmation of each other. Bossun did the talking.

* * *

"Ne-san is kidnapped, huh?" Momoka sat down on the bed dejectedly. After hearing the explanation from Bossun, she couldn't believe that Himeko was kidnapped.

"How's that even possible?" Momoka muttered under her breath. "Isn't Ne-san supposed to be a strong girl? She was the one who helped me… She had always been there when I needed advice… To think that not long after I went to her coronation, she would be kidnapped…"

Switch knelt down in front of Momoka, looking into her sapphire orbs. Momoka stared back at Switch, comfort and confusion was exchanged between the two without a single word. Feeling comforted, she nodded affirmatively at Switch with a light smile on her face.

"So you guys are searching for her?" Momoka asked.

Switch nodded.

"We were hoping you have some clues or leads to find her" Bossun said. "Since you do a lot of travelling, I figure you might know where we should start our quest."

Switch stood up and pulled Momoka up along lightly to her feet.

"I think I may be of some help… but…"

Switch and Bossun waited for the continuation.

"Let me recall all my memories first, okay?" Momoka asked for some time. "I need to clear this haze out of my mind before I'll be of any help."

The two nodded.

"How about you guys stay here for the night? I'll give you some information this night at the tavern in town." Momoka suggested." I really need to gather some things before I would be of any use..."

Bossun and Switch agreed with her.

"Great! We have some guest rooms upstairs. I'll have the maids ready it for you guys…"

* * *

**BETWEEN THE LINES**

Somewhere unknown, a dark, shady-looking manor was built. It was surrounded by forest and nature yet the manor didn't look lively – the forest and nature around it looked lacklustre and held a dark aura instead. Somewhere in one of the manor's room, stood a man in dark robe looking out a window – looking over the vast oddly dark forest. His face was shaded under his hood so it can't be seen clearly. The heavy door connecting to the room was open revealing a slim and slender figure entering the room. The figure was wearing a mask and dark clothes, later it walked towards the man and knelt down with a fist on the floor.

"I'm here to report on my mission, sir"

"Carry on."

"I have failed to retrieve the item you asked for, sir. I'm truly sorry for letting you down."

"And what brought upon this failure?"

"Ah yes! Apparently, Roman Saotome was accompanied by two young men. These young men were armed with swords and a weird weapon. One had a messy hair with a brown overcoat jacket, he had a sword sealed behind it. The other one had relatively short black hair with a darker green overcoat jacket, he was the one who ensnared me with a weird device."

"I see…"

"There's more. I thought I could steal the item you requested during the night, but the one with the sword didn't sleep and stayed up all night-"

"What's the point of this?"

"Ah yes! Apparently they are from Kaimezamashi. They are on a quest to search for _her_…"

"You mean _her_?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, sir"

There was a moment of silent between the two. The man seems to be in deep thought as he rested his chin on his hand.

"You have proved yourself worthy this time, Takashima Sakiko."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, take you leave."

"Yes, sir."

The said girl walked away from the man and left the room.

The girl closed the heavy door behind her leaving the man inside.

"It looks like someone here to save you after all, Onihime…" The man muttered under his cursed breath. "To think that my plan requires a sacrifice… now with this two idiots that I know of…"

The man looked up the window seeing the dark sky forming.

"My plan will be even better than before…"

* * *

**THE TOWN OF WAO**

Night falls, the sky was devoid of any sunlight and instead replaced with the ethereal glow of the moonlight. The stars filled the wide sky with their usual shimmering lights.

"I can't believe the day before yesterday, I was under this stars with you…" Bossun muttered as he looked out his temporary room's window. "The fates are cruel, aren't they?"

Bossun removed his gaze from the previous nostalgic scene and wore his jacket. He walked out of his room and headed towards the room next door, later, he knocked firmly on the said door. It was Switch's room. This place is so big that they could afford to have two separate rooms. It's a wonder how Momoka can afford the place with all these luxuries …

A moment later, Switch opened the door dressed in casual clothes.

"Where did you get that?" Bossun pointed at Switch's casual clothes that would allow him to blend well with the townspeople.

"Momoka."

"Whatever, let's get going." Bossun suggested. "Momoka said she would be waiting for us in the tavern in town, right?"

Switch nodded and closed the door behind him.

Both of them walked out of the building.

The night here at the Town of Wao is so different from Kaimezamashi. There were still a lot of people wondering about, letting their hair down after a day of work. They were pretty much the same as they were in the morning, livelier even!

Bossun asked for direction of the tavern from random passer-by and head towards it.

It was just down the block form Momoka's place.

They walked into the tavern and looked around. There were a lot of people, drunk people sitting around with their friends and acquaintances but no sign of the tangerine blond-haired girl. It was loud, there was some musicians playing on the stage over the laughter and loud chatter of these drunken people. But something caught their attention.

Over the rowdy bin of drunken people, sat a person wearing a robe signalling Bossun and Switch, ushering them to come near with such subtle head gesture. Both of them approached the person and looked underneath the robe. It was Momoka.

"Momo-"

"Shhh!"

Bossun was cut off by Momoka.

They both sat down in front of her and await her explanation.

"The reason I'm like this right now is because people can't know that I'm here." Momoka said in a low volume but reasonable enough for Bossun and Switch to hear her.

"What do you mean? People don't know you're in Wao?" Bossun matched her volume.

"No, they know that I'm here. But I can't allow myself to be seen in such place…"

"Then why didn't we do this back at your huge place?"

"We can't. The servants may eavesdrop on our conversation."

"Fine with me…" Bossun said. "I'll get us some drinks to avoid suspicion"

"No."

"What is it now?"

"I have low tolerance towards alcohols…"

"Then don't drink it." Bossun said before he stood up and went to the counter and got some beverages. He set them on the table.

"Okay, on to business." Momoka said before she pulled something out from under her robe. It looked like a piece of paper at first sight with the ends a little ruffled.

Momoka flatten it on the table.

It was a map.

"Here is the place you guys are in right now…" Momoka pointed at a small spot on the map. "The town of Wao."

"What!?" Bossun said which later shhh-ed by Momoka. "We've only gone this far from Kaimezamashi?"

"It's not a small world after all…" Switch let out.

"Right, so the thing is… I made this map myself. So the places with names are the places I've been to. I have been travelling for people's entertainment after all…" Momoka said. "So, my best guess is… if you want to look for Ne-San, you have to look at the places that is less travelled."

"I see… You have a good point" Bossun said. "But what if the kidnapper is from other kingdoms?"

"That's what I feared you might say…." Momoka said. "Since you both have belonged to the same kingdom while growing up, you have a certain tendency to suspect other kingdoms. I, on the other hand, don't have any obligations to any kingdom so I trust everyone to maintain peace."

"I understand." Bossun said.

"So what are you going to do?" Momoka asked.

"I don't know… there's a valid point in your opinion." Bossun deduced. "But a part of me still suspects this being a work of other people…"

"That is the problem." Momoka said.

Bossun let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'll think about it tonight…" Bossun decided. "Thanks, Momoka! You gave us some useful leads."

"No problem, it's the least I could do, the only thing I could do…" Momoka said. "Keep the map, you'll need it more than I do."

"Thanks! We should finish our drinks and head back to your place."

Bossun, Switch and Momoka grabbed their drinks and gulped it down. After that, they left the tavern.

Upon arriving at the said destination, Momoka asked Switch to help her with something. Bossun bid goodnight to both of them and went to his room.

He plopped down on the bed and lay down, watching the ceiling.

_"What am I supposed to do?"_

_"How am I going to find you?"_

_"Where am I supposed to find you?"_

_"Where are you?"_

_"I miss you…"_

Bossun stood up and opened the window pane. He sat on the verge of it while watching the night sky. It was starting to become a habit of his..

* * *

"What do you want from me?" Switch asked Momoka.

He was inside Momoka's bedroom, standing still in front of the door. Momoka however, was looking out the window with her hand against the wall. She looked like she was brooding about something.

Switch took three steps forward, stopping in front of the bed. He watched the beautiful figure in front of him. She was basked in an ethereal glow under the moonlight. She turned around to face Switch. Her expression was strangely mixed between grimness and glee? Nonetheless, her pretty and cute face still enthralled Switch as always.

"Usui…"

". . . ."

Momoka walked towards Switch with a slow pace. She stopped in front of him, staring up into his slate grey eyes. Neither said anything, blue met grey. Momoka looked like she wanted to say something albeit she held it back… Switch didn't know what to say nor does he know whether he needed to say anything at all?

". . . ."

". . . ."

They didn't left each other's gaze, instead, they waited for the other to take the initiative.

"U-usui…" Momoka stuttered. "I-I really w-wa- umm.. I-I m-mean I-"

Switch pulled Momoka into his arms.

Pools of heat formed between them as they embraced each other. Momoka rested her head on Switch's chest, beseeching that he won't leave. Tears streamed down her cheeks and ended up on Switch's shirt. Wet spots formed on Switch's shirt. Switch slowly stroke the back of her body, comforting her.

"Don't go…" Momoka said as she pulled away from Switch's body. "Please…"

". . . ."

"What if you-"

Switch pressed his lips against Momoka's.

"Nmmm?"

Momoka eyes widen upon Switch's action but she relaxed herself afterwards, she closed her eyes and let the moment last.

Switch slowly pulled his lips away, resting his forehead against Momoka's. They looked into each other's pools of smouldering orbs...

"I will make it." Switch said.

"But, what if-"

"I assure you… I know we haven't seen each other for some time now… but please…"

"What if you-"

"Believe me." Switch said. "I will see you again"

"Usui…"

"I want to see you again, your beautiful face with that beautiful voice of yours'"

". . . ."

"I know I will."

Momoka closed the distance between them again, pressing their lips. Momoka held Switch's hands, their fingers intertwined. Seconds past, Momoka pulled away.

"I want you to promise that you'll come back…"

"I promise. I'll promise that I will see you again after all of this is over.." Switch said with a rare smile on his face. Momoka couldn't keep her blush at bay anymore but Switch didn't seemed to notice it.

Switch specifically said that he will see her again…

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for still being with me on this journey! :D And WOW! That's a lot of follows! I really appreciate it! Thanks for the reviews and favourites too!  
I'm sorry because of this chapter length, the chapters length will be average of this from here on out. I hope it's not off-putting for you all. A reminder, I don't have a beta-reader so I proofread this myself. I hope it turned out okay..

This chapter marks the beginning of their adventure so expect to see more adventure and drama after this... And I purposely make Bossun more of a fighter in this story. I've always thought Bossun deserves a better treatment than being the joke all the time... Rarely we get to see the cool side of Bossun in the canon, huh? Concerning Switch, he looks like before the masafumi incident, no glasses with a handsome face. But he still talks only when needed.

*Takashima Sakiko is the girl in the window breaking incident in Sket Dance. Sadly her role here is pretty much around that level... I feel bad for making her like that. :(

To reply to the reviewers:

**Hachimitsu2: **I'm not betraying the K-on fandom... I'm just opening new doors to further improve myself. You know how it is in K-on section now... with the OCs, Self-inserts and overall declining quality of fictions. I'll continue the story there, don't worry.

**BossuHime Lover: **Thanks for the support. My writing is weird? Anyways, I appreciate the support. Don't keep both eyes on this, you'll miss other better story here... check out other people too!

**Guest: **Thanks for your review. You're 1/16 right about the plot that you narrated in your head (I won't tell which one.) I would appreciate if you used an account to review because if there's too much guest reviews, I don't know how to reply to all of you.

**Iruyo, KSPotato, chinguchan and kk: **Thanks for the support! :D

Concerning the fantasy AU map... I'll upload it on Deviantart upon requests. If you guys are fine without any visualisation, I won't upload it. Another thing, the scene between Switch and Momoka did not end there... but I can't put it in this story or else the rating will change (if you know what I mean). I'll post that side scene upon request too.

Look forward towards **Bossun's Journal**. I'll post that story soon after some editing.

I will be updating this story next year... I've always wanted to say that XD

Happy New Year everyone! :D


	4. Yaschas Massif Part I

_I was always smiling_

_And my tears dried up right away,_

_Even though I got depressed and worried sometimes.  
_

**Chapter 4 - Yaschas Massif Part 1**_  
_

_Himeko laid on the carpeted floor while staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure where she was but apparently she appeared to be in a large room, the throne room perhaps? Himeko sat up slowly and glanced around her to confirm her whereabouts. Indeed she was in the said room and she was also wearing the usual princess attire._

_H-How did I end up here? Why am I dressed like this?_

_Himeko carefully stood up and looked around. The surrounding was dark and sombre, visibility was low._

_This may looked like the palace back in Kaimezamashi, but then again, it may not since there's no way to confirm it._

_A slow creaking sound pierced her ears._

_Himeko looked towards the double door connecting to the room from the hallway. It was pushed slowly, almost hauntingly._

_"Who's there?" Himeko asked._

_No answer._

_The door slowly opened all the way yet Himeko could barely see the silhouette because of the visibility._

_The silhouette draws near, step by step._

_Himeko didn't know what to do except stare and wait for whatever may come._

_As the silhouette gets closer, the clearer it became. It was certainly a nerve-racking experience._

_One more step and Himeko could clearly see the silhouette's face._

_Her shoulder dropped and relaxed. She was relieved upon seeing a familiar face._

_"You scared me..." Himeko said after exhaling out of relief. "What are you doing here Bo-"_

_A surge of pain spread throughout her body. Her breath became erratic and hard. There were pools of blood on her abdomen. The blood gave an uneasy odour, worse was the sight._

_She was stabbed with a dagger by the figure in front of her._

_"W-why d-did you..." Himeko could barely form a sentence due to the shock and pain. "I-I don't understand..."_

_Himeko fell to the floor, laying in pain. She couldn't do anything, not with her current state. Her body was getting weaker. Her willpower ebbed slowly and painfully from her. She laid there... and wait for her demise._

_A tear fell upon her cheeks, as the killer shed his tear while staring down into her eyes._

_"D-don't cry... in front of me..." Himeko said as she tried to stroke the killer's cheek. Her hands were too weak and frail than her usual strong ones - probably because of the blood lost._

_Her hand dropped to the floor._

_She smiled, a small smile._

_Her eyelids closed slowly._

_Pitch black._

* * *

"Bossun!"

Himeko sat up and frantically looked around the room. Everything was still as before, she was still being held prisoner in the same room. Her breath was panting hard as she recalled her memories of that nightmare.

_That was a dream?! But why would he?_

Himeko put her hands over her stomach.

No pain, no wound.

_Why was I killed? If he did kill me? Why did he cried? Did I do something wrong?_

Himeko shivered upon remembering that cursed dream, that horrible dream. It was best if she forgets that omen. It was not good for her thoughts let alone her conscience.

Faint footsteps on the outside could be heard from within her cell. The footsteps were slow and heavy, based on the sound. The footsteps gradually became louder until it stopped in front of her cell door.

Himeko saw a man through the little window on the door.

He was dressed in a dark brown robe with a hood shrouding over his face, his expression could barely be seen. He was quite tall from the looks of it. He also carried a wooden staff in his hand.

This was the first time Himeko had seen a being with a heartbeat for as long as she had been in this cell. She felt like she had been in there forever. Not even a single person check on her for all this while, not even a single ant could be seen crawling on the wall or floor. This place had a different aura, a murky one. There was also other strange phenomenon: Why Himeko didn't feel any thirst? Why she did not feel hunger? Why the outside is always dark?

"Let me out of here!" Himeko demanded with a harsh tone.

A mischievous grin appeared on the man's mouth. It was unsettling to see that evil-looking smile.

"As you wish..." the man said, he had a hoarse deep voice. "But there's something I need to do first, _OniHime_."

Himeko cringed upon hearing that cursed name.

She saw the man lifted his staff and waved it around. He was also muttering something under his cursed breathe, a spell perhaps? Before long, Himeko's consciousness was forcefully ebbed away from her causing her vision to became blurry.

Soon, pitch black, again.

* * *

**THE TOWN OF WAO**

"Thanks for everything Momoka!"

"It was my pleasure!"

Bossun and Switch were standing in front of Momoka on the outskirts of town early in the morning. They were about to continue their journey to find their princess. Bossun figured they had to chase daylight since mobility is better and more efficient when the sun is up. Momoka gave them temporary shelter for last night and shared all her knowledge and insights upon their quest. Momoka had done so much for them, they really appreciated her kind gesture.

"We'll be on our way now." Bossun bid goodbye as he turned around and walked away with Switch.

"Be sure to bring Ne-San home!" Momoka yelled which caused Bossun to pumped his hand above him, forming a formidable fist that literally mean..

_Count on it!_

Switch glanced back over his shoulder to look at Momoka one last time before they departed. He saw her mirthful smile, a forced smile.

Her eyes told the otherwise to Switch.

It was clear that Momoka didn't want Switch to go, but to no avail.

Switch lethargically blinked his eyes, reassuring Momoka of their safety. He turned his attention back to the front, leaving behind a despondent girl.

Their journey had just begun. This was merely the beginning of the harrowing journey ahead.

Bossun lead the way towards Northwest in hopes that it will bring them closer to a clue or perhaps directly to Himeko – hopefully it was the latter said. He deduced that it would be best if they don't stray off the map too much because it would be easy to get lost in this vast world.

Since they travelled on foot, their pace was rather slow and tiring. Five hours into travelling started to show some signs of fatigue. Switch being a mechanic/inventor, had a considerably lower stamina and endurance compared to Bossun – don't mistook this though! Switch is really an athletic guy considering his occupation. Switch pushed himself. Painful as it is, Switch never go back on his words... Bossun is someone who he really respects and admired because of past events… Switch wanted to show his gratitude towards Bossun. Occasionally on the way, Bossun noticed his confidant's fatigue and took a short break for Switch to catch his breath. After that, they continued... continue wandering about in the vast world.

They travelled through all sorts of terrains, high and low: Mountain sides, high-plains, flatland and any of the like. They had passed through a river on the way. A myriad type of natural beauty was seen along the way. To sum up, they had seen a lot of things that they had never seen in Kaimezamashi before on this path, albeit no other human being was seen. It seemed like people rarely travelled away from their hometown or kingdom, so a lot of land is left unscathed and free.

Around noon, they reached a mountain side. The mountain was considerably high, but not to such extreme. Bossun thought of climbing over it because it was easier and saves some time... but he thought thoroughly of Switch's capability and decided to go around the mountain instead. It was a longer path but it does not strain too much on Switch.

Making their way around the mountain, they reached yet another forest. This forest was different from the one they used to escape Kaimezamashi. It looked like no one even travelled through it because there were no paths caused by constant usage or any artificial signage.

They trudged through the forest, hoping it would lead them somewhere. But with all these wild flora obstructing their way, their pace was considerably slow. The bushes were thick and a pain to cut through.

The sun was setting and soon it was dark in the forest.

"I think we should camp here for the night..." Bossun suggested.

Switch agreed.

While Bossun check around the perimeter for potential threats such as scouts, thieves, scavengers, wild carnivores… Switch gathered some firewood and started a fire.

It was small but enough to keep them warm them through the night.

Switch sat against a tree and rested his head. He took a sharp deep breathe and let it out.

Bossun smirked seeing his confidant acting this way.

"I guess this is straining your physical huh Switch?" Bossun asked.

Switch nodded lightly. Who can blame him? He used to make inventions and repair contraptions in his workshop back in Kaimezamashi. He was never exposed to such strenuous activities. This sort of things is really taxing on his body as it reached its limit.

"I appreciate you coming along with me, I really do." Bossun express his gratitude. "You sleep first, I'll take the first watch."

Switch smiled at Bossun.

"I told you... If Hime-sama is really that important to you" Switch said. "then she's worth getting hurt for."

Bossun couldn't help but to feel gratitude towards Switch's selfless gesture.

* * *

"I think there's someone in the forest..."

"Are you sure you're not hallucinating, you delinquent ninja?"

"Shut up, you impulsive samurai! I'm sure I saw someone set up an encampment out there…"

"Should we report to Tsubaki-sama?"

"No, we should not burden him with anymore troubles..."

"I suppose you're right... so what should we do then, Kiri?"

Katou Kiri was thinking of a suitable course of action. He put his hand on his chin while doing so. Then, an idea came into his head.

"How about we quickly swoop in and kill whoever is there?" Katou said which almost immediately caused a disturbed reaction from his partner.

"Is killing your only resort?!"

"No... but, that's all I could think of right now..." Katou replied while looking at his partner annoyed expression. "If you don't like it, then come up with something, Shinako."

Kikuchi Shinako was Katou's partner. They were fatefully assigned by their leader to scout and patrol the skirts of their kingdom. They don't get along most of the times because of their indifference. They often quarrel and bicker about trivial matters such as: apple or orange tasted better? Swords are better than daggers, who gets to lead the next mission… that sorts of things. Despite all these comedic banters, they get the job done... somehow.

"Hmmm..." Shinako let out as she tried to come up with something.

"Well?" Katou asked impatiently.

"Shut up! I'm trying to think!" Shinako replied causing irritation at Katou.

An idea popped into her head.

"How about we sneak up behind them and knock them out?" Shinako suggested. "That way no blood is spilled."

"Sounds like my plan… but you just change the killing to knocking out..." Katou deduced.

"Shut up! Are you on this or not?"

"Fine..." Katou gave in eliciting a victory smirk from Shinako. "We'll sneak up using the trees and bushes."

"Okay!" Shinako replied with a mirthful tone.

Katou took the lead with Shinako behind him since Katou was significantly better at sneaking than Shinako. They stayed close to the bushes as they made their way to the bright spot in the dark forest. Stealth was really important so they won't get spotted; the element of surprise was at stake.

Their steps were really light to avoid any sound that may alert the potential enemy.

As they got closer to the encampment, they split up into different position - surrounding the potential threat in a predatory fashion. They each hid behind a tree as they peered at the threats carefully.

There were two men. One of them was sleeping against a tree, he was wearing a dark green jacket. The other one seemed to be writing something in a book, this one was wearing a brown jacket and had a wild messy black hair. Both of them seemed to be unarmed, but Katou and Shinako couldn't let their guards down.

Katou signalled Shinako to be prepared.

_Deep breath, clear your mind _Katou repeated the mantra in his head as he took a deep breath.

After that, he signalled Shinako to launch the attack.

Shinako draw out her sword while aiming for the one with messy hair and Katou did the otherwise.

Upon hearing the creaking sound, the one that was writing swiftly shove his book into his pocket, stood up and draw out his sword from underneath his jacket - which Katou didn't see when he inspected him before.

**CLASH**

Shinako's blade clashed with the man's sword

Katou put his kunai on the accomplice's neck, making sure he remains silent.

"Who are you!" the man with the sword asked.

Shinako replied with more brutal sword swings towards the man, sparks could be seen as they clashed. It was like they were dancing adroitly with a fluid motion.

None of Shinako's attack connected.

The man parried them all.

"I ask once more, who are you?" The man said with a more austere voice.

This was indeed weird because Katou had known Shinako to be the best swordswoman among the ranks. But to be parried deftly by this mysterious man... It looked like that he wasn't even trying to win the fight – compared to Shinako who had gave her all.

_Who is he?_

Whoever he was or is, they need to turn the tide to their side. Luckily, Katou quick thinking saved them this time.

"Lower your weapon or your friend here dies!" Katou took the man's friend as a hostage.

"Switch-" the man said.

He intensely stared into Katou's eyes while still putting his sword up.

The sound of firewood creaking filled the silence.

"Sigh* fine..." the man put his sword on the ground and surrendered.

Shinako took away the sword and kept her guard up.

"Tie him up." Katou ordered.

Shinako exchange looks with Katou for a moment before doing so. She took a rope from her inventory and tied the man's hand behind his back.

Katou did the same with the other one. He forced both of the mysterious men to follow him. Shinako picked up some of their belongings, put out the fire and followed Katou from behind.

* * *

"Who are these men?"

"We don't know, Tsubaki-sama" Shinako answered. "We caught them wondering in the abandoned forest on the skirts of the kingdom."

"I see…"

Tsubaki Sasuke was the man that ordered Katou and Kikuchi to work together. He was the King's trusted right hand which means he's the one taking care of a lot of things – actually almost everything. The King was somewhat fond of him and believed in him to peace guard the kingdom. Tsubaki had a short black hair with a pair of cat-like amber eyes. He definitely looked like someone responsible with a sense of amiability.

"What should we do, Tsubaki-sama?" Katou asked.

Tsubaki scrutinised heavily on the men in front of him. They were brought to the interrogation facility to be well... investigated – or maybe even executed. The man with brown jacket stared back into Tsubaki's amber eyes while the other one remained still as he looked at the floor intensely (or was he sleeping?). Despite the situation they're in, these two men didn't look scared or worried at all! They remained calm and composed.

"Why are you staring at me?" Tsubaki asked the messy haired man.

"I don't know…" the man replied. "It looks kinda familiar, like somebody I used to know."

_Used to know? _Tsubaki thought. _Who is he referring to?_

The two locked their gaze for some time.

_This guy annoys me! _Tsubaki got irritated with this stupid staring contest.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Tsubaki broke the silence. "State your name and purpose here."

"Fujisake Yuusuke, from Kaimezamashi." Bossun introduced himself.

"Kaime-" Tsubaki let out but later restraint himself. "Ah, then how about his one?"

They waited for Switch to give his introduction, but only silent greeted their ears. Tsubaki squat to see Switch's face but later facepalmed himself.

Switch was sleeping in spite being interrogated.

"Ah! Forgive him!" Bossun said. "This guy here is Kazuyoshi Usui. He's a bit tired from our journey.."

"Journey?" Tsubaki asked. "Do explain…"

**. . . . . . .**

"I see… Kaimezamashi's princess was kidnapped…" Tsubaki summed up after hearing the full explanation from Bossun. "That is unfortunate…" Tsubaki seemed a little shocked from the news.

"We're only looking for her." Bossun explained.

"I think it's safe to say you bear no ill will against Yaschas Massif is this right?" Tsubaki confirmed.

"I assure you." Bossun convincingly replied. "Kaimezamashi had maintained a diplomatic relationship with Yaschas Massif for a long time. I wouldn't bear the guilt of severing that bond."

"All right, I see no reason to imprison you here"

"Imprison?"

"That was my first thought on dealing with you."

"… Rigid-much…"

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

"Kiri and Shinako err I mean Katou-san and Kikuchi-san here will be your guide around here." Tsubaki said. "Please remain within Yaschas Massif until I clear this up with the King."

"Eh!?" Katou let out.

"What's the matter Katou?" Tsubaki asked.

"Why do I have to be a guide too?" Katou said. "Just let this woman do it."

"What did you say?!" Kikuchi exclaimed, gaining Katou's attention.

"I'm just saying… you're _honourable _and all, so you should be able to handle this yourself."

"What does that tone mean, huh?"

"It means-"

"Stop it, both of you!" Tsubaki ordered. "Be the guide of these two gentlemen. That's an order"

Upon hearing the word 'order', both the ninja and samurai faithfully bowed and accepted their leader's request. It was their weak spot whenever Tsubaki uttered those four syllables.

"I have to go report this first" Tsubaki said after turning away from them. "I trust you two can handle this?"

"Yes, Tsubaki-sama!" Katou and Kikuchi said in unison.

Tsubaki walked away from them, leaving the building. Kikuchi untied the previously restrained men by cutting the ropes. Bossun repeatedly open and close his palms to let the blood flow again while Switch was… well, sleeping.

"I think it's best if they stayed at your place…" Kikuchi suggested.

"Why my place?" Katou exclaimed. "Yours is bigger!"

"What are you saying, you insolent ninja!? Are you proposing that I sleep with men under the same roof?"

"Well… no." Katou replied. "But you know how small is my-"

Katou was cut off by Kikuchi intense stare. The two remained silent for awhile.

"Fine…" Katou finally gave in, eliciting yet another smile from Kikuchi. Bossun noticed that Katou's face was somewhat happy behind that stoic mask upon seeing the girl's smile.

"I'll leave first~"

"Oi! Don't forget to meet up tomorrow!" Katou reminded.

"Sure~" Kikuchi held a rather mirthful tone as she waltz out of the building.

"Sheesh… she's a handful…" Katou murmured before returning his gaze towards Bossun and Switch.

"Can you walk?" Katou asked.

Bossun stood up as his answer but Switch…

"This one may not…" Bossun said before lifting up Switch up by his arm, putting it over Bossun's shoulder. Switch was limping because Bossun only managed to handle the right-hand side.

"Let me assist you." Katou went to the other side to support Switch.

"Thanks!" Bossun said causing a slight nod from Katou.

They walked out of the facility side by side.

* * *

Some distance away from the interrogation facility,

"It's kinda cramped but I think you guys could sleep in here…" Katou said as he laid Switch down on a single bed, his bed.

Katou's house was almost identical to Bossun's back in Kaimezamashi, small and cramped. The living room was the kitchen and also the bedroom – luckily there's a separate room for the toilet! The walls were plain, no paintings or any personal momento. Nothing. Since both of them live alone, there was no need to for a large and comfortable abode.

"Nah… my house back in the kingdom was like this too" Bossun told Katou.

"I'll get some extra pillows and blankets." Katou opened his closet and began rummaging through some stuffs in there. "Here."

Bossun took the soft pillow in a girly colour pattern and a blanket from Katou. "Thanks."

"I'll stand guard outside." Katou stated and head for the door.

_Ninja, huh?_

Bossun pulled out a book from his pocket and shook his head.

**. . . . . . .**

**Sometime during the night,**

Bossun slip in his journal back into his pocket and stood up and glanced around. Switch was still sleeping soundly. Poor guy… this journey proof to be taxing on him from the looks of it. Bossun couldn't help but feel guilty dragging his best friend like this – although Switch was the one insisted, Bossun couldn't help but to feel that he should have dissuade Switch. Well, what's done is done. Let bygone be bygone.

Bossun couldn't sleep that night for some reason.

He walked towards the door and stepped outside. When he closed back the door, Katou was behind it, resting against the wall.

"Couldn't sleep?" Katou asked.

"How about you?"

A smirk appeared on Katou's face but later replace with his regular stoic expression.

Bossun looked up at the night sky, there were plenty of stars that night. Somewhere amidst these stars, there were two stars shimmering brighter than the other. This star watching thing has really became a habit of Bossun.

"Why don't you go take a rest?" Bossun suggested.

"I can't. Tsubaki-sama ordered to keep an eye on you two."

"I don't think he was serious about that, was he?"

"I don't go against his order."

"I see… a loyal ninja, aren't you?"

Katou gave a confident look towards Bossun. The latter said had a mischievous grin on his face, as if he was planning something devious. Bossun wanted to wipe that stoic face off.

"You like Kikuchi-san, don't you?"

SHATTER

Katou's confident look shattered like a wine glass fell to the floor.

"W-where did you get that idea?!" Katou's voice held an embarrassed tone. His cheeks were slightly red. "Where is this coming from?"

"Got ya!" Bossun teased.

"No! I don't like that woman! She's just-"

"Shhhh! People are sleeping." Bossun shushed Katou. "Continue…"

"Sh-she's just someone Tsubaki-sama ordered me to work with." Katou continued in a lower volume.

"She's just the blade of the squad because of her great swordsmanship."

Bossun kept his gaze on Katou as he continued.

"I wouldn't have work with her if it wasn't for Tsubaki-sama."

"I see…"

"She's annoying."

". . . "

"She enjoys giving me a hard time."

". . ."

"She's an insolent samurai."

". . ."

"She's impulsive."

". . ."

"She gets on my nerve"

". . ."

"She is-"

"Someone who you love…" Bossun completed Katou's sentence.

"T-That's…"

"You can't lie to yourself." Bossun said. "You may fool everyone else, but you can't fool yourself."

"I-I…"

"Don't worry, I won't do anything about it." Bossun assured Katou.

". . ."

"I noticed it throughout being with you both to your house."

"My house?"

"No one have an extra girly pillow especially for a guy who lives alone." Bossun deduced. "She spent some nights here, doesn't she?"

"H-how did you-"

"and the way you give in to what she says to make her happy is obvious to me."

"But that's…"

"My apologies." Bossun said. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I see…" Katou said. "… but how'd you figure all this?"

"I don't know… I just have a knack for figuring stuffs out"

". . ."

"A word of advice, Katou-san." Bossun said. "Keep her close to you…"

"W-why?"

Bossun looked at the previous two stars and uttered…

_"Because you don't know what you have until you've lost it…"_

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for still being with me! I really appreciate the reviews and follows! I hope this story would be as successful as **risingdaydreamer-san's** Sketto Romance who has 50+ followers with a lot of reviews and favs! I really hope you all could support this story too, it would make my dream a reality. I'm sorry for the slow update, because I have a lot going on right now. I'll try to update _at least_ once every two weeks.

I have no comment about the dream sequence at the beginning.

***Kikuchi Shinako** is _Red Roses_'s OC from _His Yin and Her Yang. _Don't worry, I got the permission to use Shinako. I hope she's not out-of-character... and sorry Red Roses (if you're reading this, drop a hint below). I know Katou and Kikuchi haven't got to that stage in your story, so I hope it's okay with you for me to make them a pair in this.

***Yaschas Massif's **name is borrowed from FFXIII. So I don't own the name either.

***Bossun's Journal **is tied to this story. It's the journal that Switch gave him in chapter 3. It's advisable that you read it as reading it would add more depth to this story.

If you have any suggestions, questions, criticism, flames, torches, pitch-fork and any of the like... Leave a review in the box below.


	5. One of the Clover's petal

_When I was a child  
I tried searching for it  
But I couldn't find it  
Should I give up?_

**Interlude 1 : One of the Clover's petal**

It was a typical, sunny day at Kaimezamashi. I was feeling a little adventurous at the time, so I decided to wander outside for a while. It was still morning, so I would have more time to explore – who knows? Maybe I'll find something interesting. I went to the kitchen and asked for permission from my mom.

"Mom, could I play outside?" I asked as I approached her slowly.

"Outside? Hmm… sure." Mom replied without even looking at me.

"Really? Thanks-"

"On one condition…" Mom said, I had a feeling this would be one of her tedious chores. "Water my garden first."

_I knew it! She always does that!_

"Do I really have to?"

"You can play inside if you want to…"

"That's mean mom…"

"Awww~ don't be like that Yuusuke." Mom pinched my cheeks.

"Fine… I'll do it."

"Now that's a good boy!" Mom said. "I have to take check up on Rumi now, so make sure to behave yourself outside okay?"

"Okay…" I replied as I lazily walked out the back door.

_Seriously, I'm 7 years old now. I could easily behave myself._

I stood in the backyard of our humble house. Mom's garden was not too big but it was filled with a lot of plants of all sorts. I took a pail filled with water and began watering the plants, repeatedly until all the plants were watered. There were a lot of flowers and plants in the garden, all sorts of flowers from Daisies to Yarrows. Mom had a flower shop in town where she sells plethora of colourful flowers to people in the kingdom. People really liked the flowers because they're always freshly picked from the garden – that and the fact that no one else opened a flower shop. It was the only one in the whole Kaimezamashi. What people didn't know was that I had to get my hands dirty too!

I just wanted to get this over with and on with my adventure. I watered the flowers and plants row by row until they were all moist. I glanced around one last time to make sure that all the beautiful flowers and plants were watered. I nodded, satisfied with my work. Over the myriad of floras, something caught my eyes. I squatted down in front of it.

It was a small green plant, a clover. It had three petals and grew in a bunch on the ground. I didn't know why, but it caught my attention. It had a certain aura around it that says: look at me! Haha, it didn't exactly say anything! I'm the one who was fascinated by it. I didn't really know why though..

"Ara~ you're done already?"

I looked at the back door where mom had just gone through.

"Rumi's asleep so I thought I wanted to help out." she walked towards me. "What are you looking at?"

I plucked one of the clovers and showed it to her.

"A clover…" mom instantaneously recognized the plant, as expected from someone who had been studying plants for a long time.

She took it from my hand and twirled it around between her fingers.

"You know… there's a saying if you could find a clover with four petals, you'll get good luck."

"Really?"

Mom nodded "If you could find it…"

"I'll find it!" I took the clover back from my mom. "I'll definitely find it!"

Mom chuckled at me. "Go on, you don't want to waste daylight."

I nodded and set off to wherever I wanted to.

"Be sure to come back before dark!" Mom reminded me.

"Okay!" I replied.

At the moment, my mind was filled with nothing but finding that four-leaved clover. It sounded like a treasure! The prospect of having good luck all the time was definitely thrilling! So I began my search for that particular clover. I figured the forest would be the best bet to find it since it's full of wild plants.

I strayed off the stoned path and wandered into the forests. No one usually does this because there was nothing for them to gain in the forest. I entered the said forest with one thing in mind:

_I have to find that four-leaved clover!_

There were a lot of tall trees and lots of leaves, well of course it did – it's a forest after all. It was my first time stepping into the wild floras in Kaimezamashi. It seemed like there's full of joyous adventure that may take place here. There's a lot to be discovered – maybe even treasures! Why am I so obsessed with treasures? It would've been nice if I had some friends to join me.

Unfortunately, I don't.

It's my fault actually… I lack the confidence to talk to them so I couldn't even manage a simple conversation. I blame myself entirely for that and I hope that I will change as I grow up. It still doesn't stop me from having fun though. I usually spend my time doing creative stuffs and making something constructive – if I'm not forced to help mom around that is…

I continued wandering around the forest in hopes to find that particular clover. I searched everywhere: around the roots of trees, underneath a log, around the bushes… everywhere! I was persistence in finding that particular clover.

_This is starting to feel impossible…_

I walked deeper into the forest. So deep that I may be lost now…

Then I found myself at a pond.

This pond was probably unknown to the people of Kaimezamashi because it still had that natural, unscathed look. The pond had a natural feeling, probably because no one had meddled with it yet.

I walked toward the pond and squatted down in front of it.

The water was calm, slowly blown away by the cool breeze of the morning. I saw myself on the reflection of the water.

_I'm never going to find that four-leaved clover…_

I remained in silence, the sound cicadas filled the silence…

"This ain't the place to be playing, y'know?"

I was startled and almost fell into the water after hearing that. _Who the heck sneaked up on me? _I regain my balance and looked behind me.

There was a girl standing behind me. She was probably the same age as me. She had short blond hair with a pair of blue eyes. She wore a simple blue gown. She looked kinda cute… wait! - that is not the point!

I was dumbfounded. When did she get behind me? Who is she?

She stared at me with an exciting look on her face. What was she excited about?

"Umm… wh-"

"Onizuka Hime" She stated. "Call me Himeko."

"Hime-ko?"

"What's your name?"

"Fu-fujisake Yuusuke…"

"Nice to meet you, Yuusuke-kun!" She held out her hand in front of me, offering a handshake.

I returned her gesture albeit hesitantly. "Nice to meet you, Hime-ko"

She smiled, a beautiful smile.

"What were you doing in the forest?" She asked.

"I-I was looking for a clover…"

"A clover? Why?"

"I'm trying to find a four-leaved clover…"

"Four-leaved?"

I nodded. "My mom said if someone has a four-leaved clover, they'll have good luck…"

She stared at me with an intense look in her eyes. _What did I do know?_

"B-but I think it's not here…" I said. "It's impossible to find-"

"No! I'll help you find it!" she said.

"I told you, there wasn't any in the-"

"You weren't looking hard enough." The blonde girl persisted.

I looked at her in all seriousness as she stared back at me. Her eyes were shimmering as if they were trying to convince me to continue my adventure.

"So are you going to continue or not?" the girl asked.

"Fine-"

"Okay! We're going to start our adventure!" The girl pulled me away from my spot. "You lead, you're the boss of this expedition after all."

"Our adventure? Boss…?"

"Yup! I'm going to call you… Bossun!"

"Bos-sun?"

"Let's get going Bossun!" She pulled me by the hands to wherever to find that four-leaved clover.

I was uncomfortable the way we met yet… I was happy. I have someone to join me in my _adventure_ now. She might be a little chatty but she was really warm and nice. Despite her idiosyncrasies along with her tendency to hit me (she's super strong for a 7-year-old girl)…

She _is _my friend.

My first friend...

The friend that fostered because of a four-leaved clover. We spent a lot of our childhood trying to find that clover, we even mapped the forest of Kaimezamashi to narrow down the locations – well I did. We would meet up every day at the pond where we first met ever since that fateful encounter. When I was sick, she would visit my house and take care of me. Embarrassing as it may be, mom even encourage Himeko to befriend me. Sheesh mom, why are you so happy about it – it's like Himeko had become a part of the family with mom and Rumi. What's more embarrassing was that mom forced me take care of her when she's sick! Doesn't mom know that Himeko is a strong girl? She didn't need any help or support, all she need is some rest. Admittedly, never say that statement in front of Himeko… She'll maul you like a demon! I always ended up being her punching bag.

In the end though, we didn't find that four-leaved clover. We didn't get the blessing good-luck. We didn't even see a glimpse of that four-leaved clover. In that mystical forest, I discovered something else… The thing that matter the most was…

We found each other.

* * *

It was a sunny and clear day. Meaning, it was a perfect day to go out and play! I always hated staying at home not doing anything. It felt like I'm wasting my time moping around the house. Mom was meeting up with some of her friends in town for something so she wasn't at home. Dad was busy working as usual.

I am the only one at home! It's boring and I don't like being alone, it's too silent! If only I had a sibling or something, I could mess around with him or her.

I walked out of the house – mom allowed me to play outside as long as I get home before dark. So I walked around town, in attempt to fill my boredom. I visited my friends' house but most of them were not around because they were helping out their parents. Well... the other kids ain't technically my friends, they are more of a playmate! If they're available, we have fun. If not… I wander the streets looking for something to fill my boredom. What should I do?

I walked around Kaimezamashi, looking all around for something to happen. All I see was people busy minding their own business.

_What should I do?_

I walked aimlessly on the stone path of Kaimezamashi. After some time, something caught my eyes.

I saw a silhouette of a boy running into the forest off the stone path.

_What was he doing?_

My curiosity took over and I followed the said boy.

I silently followed him around the woods, luckily he didn't notice me. He wandered for quite some time in the forest. It looked as if he was searching for something, because he was wandering all over the forest - around the roots of trees, underneath a log, around the bushes… What was he looking for? Did he lose something?

I followed him into the deep part of the forest, he looked like he wasn't sure where to go anymore.

Then I found myself near a pond. I didn't know there was a pond like this in Kaimezamashi! It looked so beautiful and natural.

The boy squatted down in front of the pond, his eyes was looking at the surface of the water.

I decided to approach him.

"This ain't the place to be playing, y'know?" I said.

He was probably shocked that I suddenly spoke out of nowhere. He almost fell into the water.

He regained his balance and later looked at me.

He had messy black hair, with a pair of light brown eyes. His expression was obviously shocked yet it looked dorky – it's kinda funny that it made me smiled. He seemed like a fun person to be with!

"Umm… wh-" He started.

_Man, this guy lacks confidence!_

"Onizuka Hime" I introduced myself. "Call me Himeko."

"Hi-meko?"

"What's your name?"

"Fu-fujisake Yuusuke…"

"Nice to meet you, Yuusuke-kun!" I held out my hand in front of him, offering a handshake.

He looked tentative upon the gesture, but he did return the handshake. His face is so funny and cute! I couldn't help but to smile.

"What were you doing in the forest?" I asked.

"I-I was looking for a clover…"

"A clover? Why?"

"I'm trying to find a four-leaved clover…"

"Four-leaved?"

He nodded. "My mom said if someone has a four-leaved clover, they'll have good luck…"

I looked at him in the eyes… _Is that really true? Good fortune sounds like a treasure!_

"B-but I think it's not here…" he said. "It's impossible to find-"

"No! I'll help you find it!" I offered my assistance.

"I told you, there wasn't any in the-"

"You weren't looking hard enough." I persisted.

He looked at me with serious look as I stared back at him. His eyes were cunning as if they were thinking hard about something.

"So are you going to continue or not?" I couldn't bear to wait anymore.

"Fine-"

"Okay! We're going to start our adventure!" I pulled him off his spot. "You lead, you're the boss of this expedition after all."

"Our adventure…? Boss…?"

"Yup! I'm going to call you… Bossun!"

"Bos-sun?"

"Let's get going Bossun!" I pulled him by the hands to wherever to find that four-leaved clover.

I was elated. I was a part of something now! An adventure along with someone! He's kinda lazy and complains a lot. The worst thing about him was that he had no delicacy at all! He treated girls without so much of a second thought, it pisses me off that I felt like hitting him sometimes! In spite all this...

He _is _my friend.

My best friend!

The friend that fostered because of a four-leaved clover. We spent a lot of our childhood trying to find that clover, we even mapped the forest of Kaimezamashi to narrow down the locations – well he did it, I didn't even think of it in the first place. We meet up every day at the pond where we first met ever since that fateful encounter. I really appreciate what we have then! When he was sick, I would visit his house and take care of him. He seemed… abashed at first, but due to his mother kind support he finally relaxed around me. His mother _was _a really nice person, she was full with smiles and kind words. His little sister _liked _to annoy him a lot – typical sibling spat. There was one time I got sick. I really didn't expect that he would come over and take care of me! It wasn't as sweet as it sound though, he had no delicacy at all! He would offhandedly let out a remark about me – he should be arrested for having no flimsiness towards girls!

In the end, we didn't find that four-leaved clover. We didn't get the blessing good-luck. We didn't even see a glimpse of it. In that mystical forest, I discovered something else… The thing that matter the most was…

We found each other.

**:..:..:..:..:...:….:….:..:..:..:..:**

It was horrible.

Kaimezamashi was razed by some revolutionist. These revolutionists claimed that they wanted to put a new order and take charge of the whole Kaimezamashi, by force that is.

Everything was out of order.

Almost everything was left unscathed.

It was a tragic day for a 13-year old-Fujisaki Yuusuke along with the rest of Kaimezamashi's residents.

Over the catastrophe that gone berserk, one particular house was caught on fire. It was Bossun's house. The three of the family members were still trapped inside the now collapsing house. What were they doing? Shouldn't they've just escape through the windows or door? Unfortunately, Akane was trapped under a beam when she tried to save Rumi and something valuable from her room. While trying to escape, the beam fell on her and trapped her. Bossun was dumbfounded. He looked at Akane who was trying to overcome the weight of the beam but for nought. He tried to help but it too was impossible. The beam was too heavy and searing hot. They were all sweating from the hellish temperature.

"Yuu-suke…" Akane said.

He squatted in front of his now trapped mother.

"T-take this… and save yourself…" Akane held out her hand which was holding a book. Akane looked like she was exhausted from all this heat, dehydration was a factor.

Bossun took the book from her hand. "W-what about you mom?!"

"Hurry! Save yourself!"

"B-but you and Rumi-"

"Hurry!"

"Mom…"

"Listen here, Yuusuke." She said. "You have to keep living despite whatever life throws at you…"

"Mom…"

"…Also, I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?"

"No time for that, you'll understand from that book." Akane explained. "Now run Yuusuke! Run!"

Bossun was in no clear state of mind, he decided to listen to his mother and run away from the burning building. He dodged some dangling woods of the construction and made his way out through the back door.

The garden was up in flames.

Gone are the colourful flowers, now wilted and lay fallow to the ground.

Bossun couldn't bear to look at it, so he ran.

He ran far away from all this disaster. He ran to wherever his legs would lead him.

Kaimezamashi was still in a lot of riots, some sorts of confrontation could be seen on the stone path.

Bossun steered away from the stone path, and headed into the forest. He ran through the forest, tripped over some roots on the way until he was at the usual place…

That pond.

It's funny how it remained unscathed despite the entire catastrophe that was going on.

Bossun sat down in front of it and stared at the water surface.

Streams of tears trickled down his cheeks. It wasn't stopping. The tears continued trickling to his chin and dropped into the pond, joining the rest of the water. He had lost his mom, little sister and his home. He wasn't sure whether Himeko was safe or not – since it was too dangerous to check up on the streets.

Bossun looked at the book in his hand. His grasped caused the cover to be slightly dented. This book was the only paraphernalia from his mother that he have now. Bossun wiped away his tears and sat down properly.

He flipped the first page open and found an envelope. He pried it open and there was a letter inside.

It reads…

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

_My dear Yuusuke,_

_If you're reading this, it can only mean two things… it's either you ransacked through my stuff – which I'm going to get you later if I manage to find out – or I'm dead._

_Yes, most likely I'm dead as you're reading this…_

_I'm sorry Yuusuke. I kept secrets away from you when you're growing up._

_The truth is, you're not my child._

_I'm your foster-mother…_

_Your real parents passed away the moment you were born. _

_Your real father's name is Kirishima Ryuusuke. Your mother's name is Kirishima Haru. I suppose you deserve to know your real parents life story. They were both orphan, living on the streets like lost children. They had never met their real parents but it was clear they were both didn't have any similar bloodline. Even so, they didn't hate their existence – they cherished their life instead. It was an accident I met both of them. I was strolling Kaimezamashi without any direction that day, then I was attacked by someone. Long story short, Ryuusuke saved me. He later introduced me to Haru and the three of us became great friends. I lend them some help to find a job through my dad. Your dad took an oath as a knight to protect the kingdom. Your mom worked with me at the flower shop. Surprisingly, she knew a lot about flowers than me or my mom. She was the one who taught me all I know about plants. Later they got married and I was marrying someone else too. Life seems so nice that time. If you could have seen the look on Ryuusuke's face, his smile was contagious – just like yours…_

_They were really happy when Haru was pregnant. They were finally going to have someone of the same bloodline._

_Unfortunately, Ryuusuke was sent on a mission outside of Kaimezamashi. I didn't know the details but he was gone for some time. Your mom gave birth to her children on the absence of your dad, but she couldn't make it. The pain was overwhelming for her. She passed away._

_Did you read the sentence above carefully? She gave birth to her children. You have a twin, Yuusuke. Unfortunately, I don't know your twin's whereabouts because he was raised by someone else. I'm sorry, I couldn't take care of him because Rumi was born._

_Your dad, he passed away on the mission. His body was not found nor that did he return to Kaimezamashi. His comrades died, so it was safe to assume he did too._

_I wanted you to know that I raised you like my own child. I did a good job, didn't I, Yuusuke? I'm sorry for keeping all this from you. I didn't mean any harm, I thought it was the best I could do…_

_If I'm really gone from this world, please, forgive me. _

_I just want you to know that I really loved you. I hope I raised you properly._

_Love,  
Akane.  
_

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Tears fell on that letter. Wet spots formed as the water seeped into the letter. Tears weren't stopping when Bossun finished reading that letter. He had never cried this much in his entire life. He was alone…

He lost all his loved ones…

He didn't have anyone to love anymore…

He didn't have anyone to be loved by anymore….

He didn't know what to do anymore…

"Bossun?! I saw your house on fire!"

Bossun looked behind him.

It was Himeko. Her clothes were ruffled and she was panting as if she ran all the way here. She was probably searching for him to make sure he was okay.

"Where's Akane-san and Rumi-chan?"

". . ."

"W-why are you crying? Don't tell me… they…"

Bossun opened and closed his mouth, trying to form words but nothing came out. All Himeko heard was the erratic whimpers from the boy.

Himeko couldn't bear to see her dear friend like this, it was too out of character of him to cry in front of her. She was sad on the irrefutable turn of events too, but she tried to remain calm. She slowly approached Bossun and sat down next to him. She enveloped him with hug. She put her right hand on Bossun's head while resting his head against her chest as she gently stroked his back with her left hand, trying to soothe him. His erratic breathing slowly calmed down. Himeko close the distance between them.

"Everything's gonna be alright." She whispered into his ears. "Don't cry…"

Bossun pulled his head away and looked at Himeko.

Sky blue met light brown.

Himeko rested her forehead against Bossun's and remained in silence. The two stayed in each other embrace, pools of heat formed between them but it was pleasant and soothing. Amidst the catastrophe, this place, this sanctuary, remained to provide them with the comfort they needed.

**:..:..:..:..:...:….:….:..:..:..:..:**

Not long after the attack, Kaimezamashi's cavalry managed to supress the hostile revolutionist. They fought admirably and deftly causing the attackers to fall prey to them. The aftermath was not pretty, a lot of buildings and farms were destroyed. Kaimezamashi slowly rebuild their kingdom, the people came back to their feet and the revolutionist was sentenced to imprisonment.

Everyone was starting anew.

Himeko and her family rebuild their house and continue doing their business.

Bossun… well he built a new house. Not as big as before, but enough for himself. A large house would pose to be a bit grandiose when living alone, wouldn't it? Bossun met an epiphany: he was going to join the knights' cavalry. He was the youngest one to do so. He wanted the ability to protect what's important to him – his life, his legacy, the people of Kaimezamashi and Himeko. Why is she so important you might ask? She was the one who brought Bossun back to his feet and be there for him at his lowest point. He swore to protect her with all his life.

Bossun trained with sheer determination under the guidance of the cavalry. He was a fast-learner though, so he was able to move up the ranks quite fast. He gained people's respect. He met new people. He mingled with more people. He wasn't as shy as before. He had better himself for the sake of starting anew. This attitude of his opened new paths and introduced more opportunities. Everything was going to be alright now.

* * *

**A/N: ***hide away*

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter/interlude... somehow...

This is an interlude. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it means a short break. In terms of literature, it sorta a rest chapter where the storyline isn't moving. Usually in novels, they would dump some trivial info in interludes, but, I thought a flashback would be nice here. **Chapter 5 and already resting?! **you might say. I find this chapter important for the plot so I decided to write it. It adds more reason for Bossun to save Himeko.

This plot basically explains Bossun and Himeko's first encounter. It wasn't anything special, but it's something. (Aren't all our friendship like that? We just randomly strike up a conversation with someone, and the next thing you know he/she is your best friend!) It also serves as the origin for Bossun's realization. For those who don't like characters death, I'm truly sorry. I thought that Akane and Rumi's death would spark something in Bossun. In this chapter, Himeko is still your-average-girl, not yet a princess. How did she become one you might ask? I can't answer that, yet.

Thank you all for your kind encouragements! :D

**Red Roses: **I'm glad I managed to make Shinako stay-in-character. She'll definitely comes up in the next chapter.

**Late Bloomer and BossuHime Lover: **Thanks for your reviews! You should definitely read _His Yin and Her Yang! _It's definitely worth it.

**kk: **Yeah, I know Switch isn't that weak. But anyone who practice an indoorsy life would definitely feel something after travelling so far. You walked 191 KM?! Whoa! That's impressive!**  
**

**Iruyo and risingdaydreamer: **Thanks for the reviews and feedback. I didn't know my word choices are too difficult (O.o) thanks for pointing it out. I couldn't find any other words to describe the world, it's kinda beaten into my head. I hope it's not off-putting to read.

FYI, I created a forum for Sket Dance. I would appreciate if you guys use it for anything. Post anything you like there.

If you have any suggestions, criticism, feedbacks, compliment, flames, torches, pitch-fork or even blackmails... Drop it in the wonderful white box down there.


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